The present invention comprises a new and distinct variety of Ulmus parvifolia (Chinese elm) known by the varietal name King's Choice.
The Chinese elm is an excellent tree for landscaping and is resistant to the Dutch elm disease. The Chinese elm is often confused with the Siberian elm (Ulmus pumula) which has several inferior characteristics. The Chinese elm flowers and fruits in the fall whereas the Siberian elm flowers and fruits in the spring and is a more dirty tree. The Siberian elm has more brittle limbs, doesn't self-repair and is more prone to attack by insects as compared with the Chinese elm.
The new variety of Chinese elm is characterized by a rapid growth rate and its dendritic pattern through at least the the first seven years. The new variety also roots readily through leaf propagation with and without hormones or other root stimulating materials. The leaves are darker, more luxuriant and possess a pleasant leathery semi-glossy surface appearance as compared to other open pollinated varieties of Ulmus parvifolia. The new variety has been found to retain its distinctive characteristics through successive propagations.
The new variety was disclosed at King's Men Tree Farms, Hampstead, Md., in 1979 among a group of 1000 random open pollinated seedlings of Ulmus parvifolia which had been acquired from Cully Nursery, Springfield, Ill., as one year liners. These seedlings had been germinated in the spring of 1977 and planted by King's Men Tree Farms in April of 1978. In 1979 and continuing in 1980, the specimen tree was found to be growing at more than twice the rate of the remainder of the trees. In the spring of 1981, the specimen tree was tagged, has never been transplanted, and has been carefully monitored ever since.